Various Artists, Happy Birthday To Me

To celebrate its twenty-year anniversary, Sub Pop released a compilation album called Happy Birthday To Me, comprised mostly of tracks from 2008. Judging by the songs and the roster of artists, it’s clear that for all its grunge beginnings the label has, for better or for worse, found itself putting out some of indie-rock’s prettiest music. Blitzen Trapper and Fleet Foxes, in particular, gained some serious attention for their 2008 albums, both layered, airy, and undeniably gorgeous, and most of the other tracks aim for a similar intimacy. But on the whole, Happy Birthday To Me is weighed down by songs that are pleasant-but-forgettable.

There’s a stark difference between the two Mudhoney songs, first and last on the album, and everything else in between. Nothing comes close to matching Mudhoney’s volume or intensity; though the Gutter Twins’ “Idle Hands” is dark and driving, the cheesy goth electro-rock is so dreadfully painful to listen to it hardly counts. Most of the other tracks just come off as boring. This isn’t to say that to be memorable, songs can’t be quiet — the handful of standouts includes Death Vessel’s “Bruno’s Torso,” which elevates itself with a terrific vocal melody and thoughtful restraint, and the Grand Archives’ “Miniature Birds,” whose rich, quaint instrumentation is instantly classic. No one will argue that the quality of music isn’t high, but the album is plagued by the constant feeling that something is missing.